Electrical display device.



1. s. PENNEFATHER. ELECTRICAL DISPLAY DEVICE.- APPLICATION FILE D SEPT. 7. I916- "ikiki? magma W Fatentefl NOV 2?, 1917. I

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JAMES S. PENNEFATHER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE CHASE SHAWMUT COMPANY, OF NEWBUBYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

ELECTRICAL DISPLAY DEVICE.

1,2 17 ,S'Yd.

Application filed September 7, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, JAMES S. PENNEFA- THEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Electrical Display Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electrical display devices, and has especial reference to devices of this character made to electrically dis play a flag or other distinctive object hav ing stars; although the apparatus involving my invention may be made for displaying letters and other distinctive characters or symbols for use as an electric sign.

At the present time, there is a demand for such devices by those who wish to publicly display their patriotism, but serious difficulty has been encountered in the construction of a satisfactorv device, Rows of red and transparent electric lamps may be quite satisfactorily employed to represent the stripes of the flag, but serious difficulty is met in the construction of means to represent the stars.

The particular object of my invention,

therefore, is to roduce a structure by whichthe stars may be satisfactorily represented.

In carrying out my invention, as here illustrated, an electric lamp is employed as the illuminating element, one only being required for each star or letter, or other distinctive character Or symbol. Said lamp is arranged in a shell or case having an enclpiece arranged in front of the lamp formed with a star-shaped opening, if a star is desired. Such an opening provides an illuminated area having well-defined contour, so that the shape of said area is satisfactory, but, unless other means are provided, such illuminated area or zone is only visible when arranged in front of the line of vision, as only the direct rays of light are projected through the opening, but, by arranging the shell or case so as to entirely surround the lamp, in close proximity thereto, as, for instance, by employing a cylindrical shell or case, and providing the interior wall of said shell or case with a reflecting surface, the illuminated area may be clearly and distinctly seen at different angles with respect to the direct line of vision; in fact, at all desirable or necessary angles, as the reflect- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2'7, limit,

Serial No. 118,909.

ed rays of light are projected through the opening in addition to the direct rays.

The display device constructed to employ these features may be placed on buildmgs, and when illuminated, will be visible clearly and distinctly, for a long distance, and in many different directions.

Figure l is a front elevation of a portion of an electric display device embodying my lnventlon.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 22, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged front view of one of the shells, having an end-piece with a starshaped opening.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side view of an electric lamp having a cylindrical shell or case with the end-piece in section on line 4 -4, Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55, Fig. 4, illustrating particularly the supporting element for the shell or case.

As the device is designed to be placed on the tops or sides of buildings and other places, a substantial framework is provided, which, as here shown, is made to resemble a flag having stars and stripes, and consists of a plate 10, having barriers or battles 1:2, arranged in parallel relation, and suitably spaced apart, for the electric lamps 13, which are arranged in rows in the spaces between the barriers, to represent the stripes, and having a quadrangular area 15, in one corner for the stars. The spaces between the barriers may be painted red and white to resemble stripes, and the field area may be painted blue to represent a blue field, so that during the day time the device re sembles a flag. The barriers may be made straight Or undulatory, as desired.

The electric lamps 13, which are arranged in the spaces between the barriers, may be, respectively, red and transparent, so that when illuminated, they will represent the red and white stripes of a flag.

For the representation of the stars at the corner of the frame-work, electric lamps 20 are arranged in the field, one for each star, which may have a transparent bulb, and each lamp is inclosed in, or surrounded by, a cylindrical case 25, of a diameter somewhat larger than the lamp bulb, and its wall is arranged quite closely to said bulb. Said cylindrical shell or case 25 may be de-.

tachably secured to a support 26, here shown as composed of sheet metal and having a threaded end-portion to receive a correspondingly threaded end-portion of the cylindrical shell, and said support may be provided with an end flange having keyhole slots 27, adapted for detachably engaging studs on the frame-work, to secure it in addition to the direct rays of light, the interior of the wall of the cylindrical shell or case is provided with a reflecting surface, to project the rays so as to cover a very large area or zone. This is a necessary feature of the combination, for, unless means are provided for accomplishing this result, the illuminatedstar will not be observed from the many different angles desired.

It is obvious that the structure of the cy- "lindrical shell or case having its interior cylindrical wall formed with a reflecting surface may be modified, and its component .parts attached together in other ways withoutdeparting from the scope of my inven tion, and, obviously, it is unimportantwhether the portion 26 is, or is not made reflecting, so far as the invention is concerned.

lVhile the electric illuminating device here shown is adapted to resemble a flag having starsand stripes, yet it is obvious that other flags may be represented having .stars, or letters, characters, or symbols,

which-are to be represented in a similar way to the stars, and not by a series of lamps arranged to show the outline in the way common in electric signs.

I claim:

1. An electric display device comprising a cylindrical shell adapted to closely surround. an electric lamp, an opaque end-cap detachably secured to the outer end of said shell and having a display opening, a second end-cap det-achably secured to the inner end of said shell, an opening therein adapted to receive a. socket for an electric lamp, and means associated with said last end-cap whereby said display device may be detachably secured to a support.

2. An electric display device comprising .a structure, a substantially equilateral inclosure located at one corner of said structure and surrounded by a suitable barrier, divisions on said structure without said inclosure parallel to each other and to the two longer sides of the structure, each .di

vision being formed by a suitable barrier, electric lights suitably disposed in said divisions, electric lights in spaced relation within said inclosure, a cylindrical reflecting surface inclosing each light within said inclosure, and an opaque closure for the outer end of said reflecting surface having a display opening. 7

3. An electric display device comprising a cylindrical shell adapted to closely surround an electric lamp and being provided with an interior reflecting surface, an opaque end-cap detachably secured to an end of said shell and having a display opening, a second end-cap detachably secured to the other end of said shell, an opening there through adapted to receive a socket for an electric lamp, and a slotted opening in said second end-cap whereby said display device may be detachably secured to a support.

4. An electric flag having, in combination, rows of red and white electric lamps arranged to represent the stripes of an American flag, a. plurality of opaque facings colored blue, each facing having .a star shaped opening cut therein to properly represent the stars of an American flag, cylindrical means having a reflecting. surface and electric lighting device centrally disposed back of each star shaped opening whereby the rays of the electric lighting device may be reflected sidewise to show the outline of the stars when the flag is viewed from a sidewise direction.

5. An electric flag, having in combination rows of red and white electric lamps, arranged to represent the stripes of an American flag, barriers arranged between the rows of lamps, a plurality of opaque facings, colored blue, each facing having a star- 'shaped opening cut therein and appropri ately arranged to represent the stars of an American flag, cylindrical means having a reflecting surface and an electric lighting device centrally disposed back of each star shaped opening, whereby the rays of the electric lighting device will be reflected sidewise to show the outline of the stars when the flag is viewed from a sidewise direction. In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES S. PENNEFATHER. lVitnesses PETER W. KING, J HN PENNEFATHER.

gCopiesof this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by adtlressing theflcommissioner of Iatents.

Washington, D. C. 

